The Kharkiv Choral Synagogue ( uk, Харківська хоральна синагога) is a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, the largest in the country, and a building of architectural significance.

History

Construction of the synagogue began in 1909, with architects submitting design proposals as part of contest. St. Petersburg architect Yakov Gevirts submitted the winning design and construction was completed in 1913 at a cost of 150,000 rubles. In June 1923, the synagogue was closed at the insistence of Jewish workers, nationalized by the government, and used by a Jewish worker's club, part of the

Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...

. The local Yevsektsiya declared the day a holiday. A march to the synagogue was organized, with a group of Jewish workers carrying a red flag into the building. Moscow's

Der Emes ''Der Emes'' (in Yiddish: , meaning 'The Truth', from he, אמת, emeth) was a Soviet newspaper in Yiddish. A continuation of the short-lived '' Di varhayt'', ''Der Emes'' began publishing in Moscow on August 8, 1918.Kotlerman, Boris (August 5 ...

declared the synagogue a "counterrevolutionary nest" and claimed that Torah scrolls in the synagogue had been dedicated to the Tsar. The building then served a variety of uses including housing a club, cinema and a sport complex and was not used as a place of worship until 1990. Following the collapse of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, various Jewish groups struggled for control of the synagogue. Edward Khodos created an organization to represent the members of

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

and asserted control of the synagogue. Representatives of

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

made competing claims, and for a period both groups operated in the building. In 1993, Khodos operated on the synagogue's second floor, where according to reports he conducted his antiques business and set up a Friday night kick-boxing club for local children. In 1998, a fire gutted the synagogue and it was officially turned over to Chabad. Extensive renovations were completed in 2003.

Architecture

The building design is described as a combination of Romano-Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...

styles which the Architectural Society of Kharkiv saw as 'reminiscent of the huge walls of ancient Palestine'. The building is tall at the dome and long, with a total area of . Unlike the other buildings on the block, it is set back from the street to conform with local laws requiring a certain distance from churches and other houses of worship.

The Synagogue today

The synagogue is a center for Jewish life in Kharkiv and an important city landmark. Jewish holidays are celebrated at the synagogue by Jews and non-Jews alike. A

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...

celebration drew

Petro Yushchenko Petro is a masculine given name, a surname and an Ancient Roman cognomen. It may refer to: Given name * Petro Balabuyev (1931-2007), Ukrainian airplane designer, engineer and professor, lead designer of many Antonov airplanes * Petro Doroshenko (1 ...

, then governor Arsen Avakov, and national media coverage. Other events include a tribute for Kharkiv's Jewish

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veterans. The synagogue is run by

, which has its Kharkiv headquarters in the synagogue and also maintains a

mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

and

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

. The synagogue's current Rabbi, Moshe Moskovitz, is also the

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

of Kharkiv. Chabad also runs a school of 500 Jewish children in grades 1-11 and a kindergarten of 70 children. Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes has attended a synagogue

Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Boo ...

celebration and the wedding of Rabbi Moskowitz's daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharkov Choral Synagogue 1913 establishments in Ukraine Chabad in Europe Hasidic Judaism in Ukraine Hasidic synagogues Jews and Judaism in Kharkiv Gothic Revival architecture in Ukraine Gothic Revival synagogues Reform Judaism in Europe Religious buildings and structures in Kharkiv Synagogues completed in 1913 Synagogues in Ukraine

History

Architecture

The Synagogue today

See also

References